The Sidhe
by Penhales
Summary: Sarah has outrun her past and is living alone (with her cat) in a small coastal town in New England. A hurricane sweeps through the town and brings with it a host of variables that alter her life as she knows it forever. (Little bit of a slow burn, eventual Jareth/Sarah)
1. Chapter 1

Sarah hadn't been living on the coast for very long when the storm came. The whole town was humming with excitement the morning that she switched on the TV, hoping to catch the morning weather, when she instead discovered that there was a hurricane barreling up through the southern states at breakneck speed towards them. She'd grown up with her father and step-mother in upstate New York and had seen her fair share of tropical depressions and torrential rain remnants from the storms that made landfall, but a true hurricane sounded worrisome.

Opening up shop as usual, Sarah noted that the shops neighboring her own were busy taping and shuttering windows, posting signs with their altered hours due to the projected strength of the storm. Some were even preparing to evacuate, closing up altogether until after the storm passed and moving merchandise out of the building to save what they could in case of flooding. Of course, most of Sarah's books were all old, unwanted paperbacks and her heart felt heavy to leave them behind, but there wasn't the room for all of them in her trusty Buick. Sarah rested her elbows on the check-out counter and admired each tattered spine. Each volume was someone's prized work and sometimes someone's life work. It felt almost unfair to have to leave so many in the shop where they could be destroyed. Still, there would be more unwanted, frayed paperback novels to put on the shelves, were these destroyed. There seemed to be an endless supply of the things pouring into her shop regularly.

She turned her attention to the pile of leather-bound, beautiful classics piled in the box behind the counter. A large box was all that was truly of value in her shop, in the end, but it wasn't surprising when she didn't often receive any high quality merchandise for the shelves. Her favorite, a copy of Jane Eyre rested at the top of the pile and Sarah took it up, considering a brief moment to read in the quiet of her empty store. Unfortunately, the bell on the front door jingled and she looked up to see her next door neighbor, Annie, anxiously hoping to catch her attention.

"Hi Sarah, you got a minute?"

"Sure, no problem. What's up?"

Annie was older than Sarah and often took it upon herself to act as a mother figure, regardless of Sarah's appreciation or lack thereof. The reading interruption was all Annie needed to be a perfect repeat of Sarah's former step-mother.

"Well, you know that the storm makes landfall later tonight…"

Sarah quirked an eyebrow.

"I do."

Annie seemed displeased with her nonchalance.

"The wind's going to be really something else, dear, and you know Sam and I are taking off in a few hours for the cabin."

"Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll just weather things out here. You're allergic to cats anyway, remember?"

Annie became even more perturbed at the mention of Sarah's little black and white cat, Charlie. She was generally allergic to cats, but that didn't stop Sarah from letting Charlie run freely outside whenever he liked. Neither did she stop him from leaving little half-alive "presents" for the neighbors. In that way, Charlie lost all regard Annie might have had for him.

"Oh, the cat would be fine, they can climb! I just hate to think of you shut up in that house for days waiting for the water to let up."

Sarah didn't mind the isolation. She'd stockpiled more than enough for two weeks of such apparent high waters and if they kept people away from the door, she was happy enough.

"I promise I'll be alright. You two go on and I'll keep an eye on the place for you, how's that?"

It was enough to satisfy the older woman, who smiled sweetly at her.

"Please be careful. Remember if you change your mind, you're more than welcome to go up to the cabin."

"I'll keep it in mind. For now I've just got to get some of this mess out of here."

Annie waved, concern still evident on her face, as she left. Sarah was relieved to be alone again. The poor woman always meant well, but ever since Sarah had come to town four years earlier, Annie wouldn't let her be. Sarah had been young, alone, and without much to call her own aside from the old family house (conveniently left to her by her grandmother) and some money to get herself started. Living alone had been everything she'd hoped for, but the loneliness drove her to introduce herself to neighbors and from then on she'd never been free of their attention. With the hurricane passing through, she'd surely earn some time to herself. She hoped.

-

The fifth hour without a single customer came and went, and it was only by the seventh that Sarah felt she was beginning to lose her mind. She'd had slow days before, but it was as if almost everyone in the town had chosen to evacuate. Sarah resigned herself to closing early and took her box of books out to the car. The sky was a shade of yellow she didn't believe she'd seen before, the sun fighting to be seen over the dark clouds swirling towards town. The hurricane certainly looked imposing, and the rising winds told her that sooner rather than later, it would be time to be at home. The town was deserted save for a few stragglers like herself, the café all shut for business and the supermarket too. The movie theater marquee had no letters on it, for fear of losing them all in the winds. It was eerie to see the town in its ghostly fashion, lit yellow by the sky, missing all of the people and the life that it had only the day before.

Pulling into her driveway, Sarah felt some relief at seeing Charlie waiting patiently by the front door to be let inside. He rubbed against her leg as she unlocked the front door, purring loudly. She'd eat something small for dinner, read for a few hours and possibly enjoy some TV, and then to bed, as routine dictated. It would be quiet and with luck, she'd sleep through the hurricane as it passed overnight.

Her house creaked and moaned around her as it settled in the changing air pressure, and though she knew it was only the house's old wood, the sounds unsettled her. She prepared and ate a small supper quickly and switched on the TV for comforting racket to drown out the disquieting racket of the oncoming storm. A flash of lighting made her nearly jump out her chair. She wasn't particularly good with lightning and hadn't been for as long as she could remember, though she had no memory to blame such a fear on. Charlie came padding into the kitchen and chirruped at her, a good enough sign for her that it was time for cuddling a cat on the sofa and drowning out the storm with trash TV.

The cat settled into her lap easily enough, but not too far into an episode of Jeopardy, he turned his head towards the bookcase and starting mewing in its direction. Understandably, this made Sarah's insides turn to liquid entirely. She swallowed hard and tried to ignore him until he started to hiss. Sarah stroked his head and tried desperately to still her wildly beating heart. The rain tapped steadily on the shuttered windows and Sarah felt her palms start to sweat, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She turned her head ever so slightly to catch whatever the offending thing was in her periphery and saw…a cat. A little, chubby calico cat.

More than a little relieved, Sarah sighed and deposited Charlie on her seat. The poor thing had to have wandered in while her back was turned bringing books indoors, in hopes of escaping the storm and Sarah couldn't blame her. The rain had begun to rush down on the house like a weak waterfall.

"I bet you came in to miss all that rain, huh?"

The cat rubbed her head against Sarah's hand in a friendly gesture, but Charlie made no move to approach the other animal and sat stiffly in place, watching Sarah greet her, warily.

"I'm sure Charlie won't mind sharing his house for a night. Will you, Charlie?"

Being a cat, he made no move to indicate an understanding. Sarah sighed heavily.

"That's right, he said it's fine."

The calico looked on at Sarah, receiving her affection with a satisfied gaze. Sarah noticed a collar around the cat's neck, but it wasn't any kind of collar she'd ever seen before. A bit of twine was wound around the little calico's neck with a tag made of what looked to her like solid gold. With the cat's peaceful demeanor allowing, Sarah tugged it gently into the light and read the name engraved on the tag, Chasma.

Sarah found it to be a pretentious name for a cat, but then again, the thing was wearing a collar tag of solid gold.

"Chasma."

She scratched behind the cat's ears.

"Sarah Williams."

Sarah blinked for five, seven seconds before registering that the calico had spoken to her.

"Uh."

"You are Sarah Williams?"

Sarah turned briefly to Charlie as if to ask 'Are you seeing this too?', but he seemed no more on edge than before.

"He won't notice a difference, he's just a cat."

"B-but, so are you. And you're talking…like a…person."

The calico laughed, baring her sharp white teeth.

"I am Chasma, daughter of Lark of Angwyn and Brigid of Haeg."

Sarah's blood ran cold and she nearly leapt backwards, yanking her hand away.

"I expect you have questions, Sarah of Piermont."

She laughed to herself. It was the hysteria of the storm, and she'd driven herself mad enough with fear to believe a cat was speaking to her.

"I don't even drink and I somehow manage to do this. Sorry, uh, Chasma. I'm not doing this today. This is just my brain doing something weird and I'm just going to go to sleep and pretend this never happened."

"You do not have a choice."

Sarah laughed again, with more mania than before.

"Oh right, because why wouldn't the talking cat now be telling me what to do? This is great. This is good stuff. My shrink is going to sink his teeth into this."

"He will know nothing. I am here on business and I do not intend to leave until it is resolved."

Sarah rose, clumsily, and traipsed over to her staircase and began the ascent. Sleep would undo whatever hallucination Chasma was. She was sure she'd wake in the morning to find a plain calico on her first floor and not the twine collar-wearing, talking abomination currently chattering at her from the base of the stairs.

"I come as an ambassador of the Sidhe; we have grave matters to discuss. I urge you to cease resisting contact and give me the information I need so that I may be on my way."

Sarah washed her face in the sink of the hall bathroom and ignored Chasma's sudden materialization on the counter beside her. Through a toothpaste filled mouth, Sarah gurgled,

"So if I tell you whatever it is you need to know, this whole thing will end?"

The hurricane's winds rattled the shutters violently against the window. Chasma gave a nod and waved a paw and a transparent list floated in the air before her face. Sarah didn't recognize the symbols on the delicate page, but she could only assume it was all scrambled nonsense from the depths of her brain, anyhow.

"We'll start from the beginning, Sarah of Piermont. You must speak truthfully."

Sarah snorted.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Chasma didn't seem entertained.

"How is it that you came to the Underground?"


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah spluttered, spitting the toothpaste into the sink merely to avoid choking.

"I'm sorry?"

"The Underground, Sarah of Piermont. I believe you remember. It was not so long ago."

Sarah felt as if, any moment, her very brains would slide out from the back of her head and abandon her entirely and it would all make sense again somehow. She dry-heaved into the sink for a few tense moments and Chasma took little pity on her.

"Is my form so troubling?"

Sarah didn't answer, opting instead to lay her heated cheek against the cool marble top of her bathroom counter. Chasma sighed and cleared her throat.

"If you will recall, Sarah Williams, you were of sixteen winters when you first set foot in the Underground, were you not?"

"Yes. Sixteen."

Chasma nodded and the document scrawled more symbols near the top without her so much as lifting a paw. It would have been mesmerizing had Sarah not been so nauseous and over-wrought from hysteria that Chasma's very presence disturbed her.

"I believe your kind calls it 'shock'. It will not last after I have gone. The sooner we are finished, the sooner you will regain your strength and forget."

Sarah nodded. Anything to wipe this from her mind. Her parents didn't need another reason to think she needed full-time hospital care.

"What brought you to the Underground?"

"My baby brother, Toby."

Chasma's expression flickered with interest for a moment before regaining its stoicism.

"And how, exactly, did Toby Williams of Piermont reach the Underground?"

Sarah took a deep breath. She would have to recount some of it, after all. After years of burying it below anything and everything she could find and avoiding and circling each psychologist's questions about the details of the event, Sarah would have to remember all of it and say it.

"The Goblin King. I made a wish."

Something flashed in Chasma's eyes and Sarah heard the wind straining against the house's shutters once more, pelting rain unforgivingly into the siding of the old house.

"I recognize no such title. You will have to answer in different terms."

Sucking in air through her teeth, Sarah hissed,

"Jareth. Jareth….of the Underground, I guess."

"And the Labyrinth, you finished it?"

Taken aback, Sarah gaped at her.

"I-…I think I did."

"Did you or did you not?"

"I made it to th-the castle at the center, I think. I don't remember; it was such a long time ago."

Chasma sighed deeply and the delicate list and its symbols disappeared from sight.

"Are we done?"

Sarah was more than ready for her new 'feline friend' to make her departure and leave Sarah to the safety of her bed. It would all be a strange dream and she'd wake up and shake it off.

"I must warn you, your confirmation of these facts has…altered the case originally presented to us. I am not qualified to proceed with the investigation and I must bring you instead to The Court."

Catching her crazed appearance in the mirror, Sarah fought the urge to heave once more.

"Bring me where? N-no. No, I'm not going anywhere. You said this would be over."

"You have answered some of my questions, but there are more left unanswered. Based on the information given here, I may no longer proceed with you."

"The only place I'm going is to my bed."

"If you wish it."

In less than a blink of an eye, Chasma disappeared and Sarah stepped back from the counter so quickly that she collided with the wall. The wind and rain still howled around the creaking frame of the house and for a few moments, Sarah stood, simply listening to it and rubbing at her newly bruised back with some relief. She'd go to sleep and it would all be much better, of course; it was just some kind of strange lucid dream. Who'd ever heard of a talking cat, anyway?

Charlie blinked at Sarah lazily from the doorway of the bedroom. The poor old cat was ready for bed, eager to sleep through the remainder of the storm. Thankfully, Charlie didn't open his mouth and speak to her. There was a sense of dread at the very thought.

Sarah changed into her pajamas quickly and slipped under the sheets, the cat nestling himself at her feet. In the darkness, Sarah began to feel strange and warm; like a coziness was creeping through her person. It wasn't unpleasant and she thought little of it as the scent of fresh flowers flooded her senses. Charlie was mewing softly and strangely at her, perturbed by something, but she couldn't quite hear him. A warm breeze combed fingers through her hair. She let The Sleep take her.


	3. Chapter 3

When Sarah's eyes opened, she froze. Obviously, something was very wrong with her and she'd lost touch with reality altogether. She awoke in a leafy bower, choked to the gills with climbing vines covered in bright summer blooms. The scent of what could only be honeysuckle was almost suffocating, an overwhelmingly sweet odor perfuming the air. She sat up, slowly, with the thought of taking in more of her surroundings. She felt ill and had to fight the urge to lean over the side of the bed and retch.

The walls and flooring was unlike anything she'd ever seen, like she was being held inside of a massive tree. The room itself was very simple and clean, save for the vast number of vines climbing the walls. Sarah decided then that she truly had lost touch with reality and there was surely no hope for her. A ghastly thought struck her, that perhaps she'd died in her sleep and this was the afterlife.

The door to the strange wooden chamber burst open then and a woman with fiery red hair and golden tanned skin strode into the room. Sarah recognized the twine necklace about her neck and much to her disdain, also recognized the name attached.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

Sarah didn't often swear, but this called for it.

"I trust you know who I am?"

Chasma was shorter than she had expected, with long pointed ears and a plump, curvaceous figure, strikingly different from Sarah's thin and bony frame. The strange, transparent list appeared in front of her once more and she observed Sarah with a kind, but fairly blank countenance, marking off little boxes.

"Listen, this is kidnapping. I don't really know what's going on right now and I don't know who you are, but this is illegal. Whatever drugs you gave me will only add to your sentence, you know that, don't you?"

Chasma's face remained blank and she nodded approvingly.

"Your psychological response is normal, Sarah, you needn't worry. You have responded well to The Sleep. Your vitals are strong and your physical health is satisfactory enough."

Sarah's stomach dropped.

"Enough for what?"

"I was clear before, you must be sent to The Court for questioning."

"You were also a talking cat and any sane human being doesn't take a hallucination seriously."

Chasma smiled and revealed a strange set of pointed teeth like a cat's.

"What you saw and spoke to was my Anima. My form to be used in your world. It is in our laws that none of our kind must be seen in their true form in the human world."

For a moment, a vision of an owl flashed through Sarah's mind, but she brushed it away. She instead directed her attention to Chasma's strange garb. Her clothes flowed about her as if an invisible breeze blew through the room and Sarah wondered if it was another hallucination of hers or some kind of special effect.

"There will be time for food, drink and rest later on. For now, you must come directly to The Court."

A chill ran down Sarah's spine. There was no real way to tell exactly what that would entail and Sarah didn't much care to find out.

"I think I'll pass."

"I'm afraid you haven't a choice. We can use The Sleep if you prefer, but it would be much easier if you simply came with me."

She wasn't sure if she should interpret The Sleep as some kind of knock out drug or read further into what The Court could possibly be. Either way, whatever was going to happen next wouldn't be pleasant. Chasma studied her outfit for a moment, face still impassive.

"Come along."

Sarah was insulted, but said nothing as she was led up the incline of the dimly lit wooden hallway.

"They will ask questions and you will answer truthfully. They know when mortals are lying and it is in your best interest not to lie. Keep your responses brief and unemotional, if you can."

Chasma paused before a large set of intricately carved doors and turned towards her, a strange light behind her eyes.

"Have I made myself clear, Sarah Williams?"

Sarah nodded, her heart racing behind her ribs. Chasma touched the center of the door with her hand, leaving a glowing imprint of her palm behind. The doors opened for her, creakily at first, and then swinging open with a bang. Sarah felt as if she might pass out at any moment.

Fresh air hit Sarah's face and she was greeted by what looked like a large garden full of various platforms, tables and chairs, and even shelves for more sitting space, jutting directly out of the wall. Many folk filled the chairs and other places to sit, all mixed in appearance, but all with warm blonde or red hair and darker skin than her own. Some had large, iridescent wings and some did not. Six sat in a row before the rest, elevated much higher than the various rabble.

Sarah trailed behind Chasma, who deposited her at the central podium, apparently kept prepared for this sort of thing.

The six above the rest each wore crowns, some with lovely spring flowers, some with autumn leaves. They were each rosy cheeked and cheery in disposition, but Sarah was still put off. Something about the floral crowd felt strangely ominous and she wished she could wake herself up somehow.

A woman crowned with roses stood and smiled gently at her.

"Sarah Williams of Piermont, you have been summoned by The Court to bring testimony against Crown Prince Jareth of The Underground."

Sarah's blood ran cold. It was only then that she spotted the unfortunate being seated not far from where she was, perfectly still with his eyes trained ahead and his face entirely blank. If he was angry at her, she couldn't tell in the least. He was much paler than the rest, his hair a dull silver, with deep circles beneath his eyes and his cheekbones noticeably gaunt. No sign of his mischievous sparkle resided in his tired visage, and it struck real fear into her heart. She'd found him unfair, unreasonable, and unkind, but these others had somehow drained him of his substance.

"The Court did not ask that you prepare such a testimony, and therefore you will be questioned by the High Kings and Queens of The Court. You will tell only the truth, or face The Eternity."

The woman with the rose crown smiled sweetly at her and sat at her place one more. A man beside her, crowned with forest green ivy, used a wave of his hand to open a list like Chasma's, covered in things Sarah couldn't read. He cleared his throat and directed his oddly cheerful expression towards her.

"If you would please identify the prince."

Sarah lifted her gaze towards him, internally shivering once more at how strange and empty he looked. Before she opened her mouth, the ivy crown spoke again.

"Correct. And how did he look when first you met?"

"Like a white owl."

The Court chattered among themselves and the ivy crown nodded, tapping the tips of his fingers on various places of his list. Jareth still didn't stir. His eyes were fixed on her, unmoving, but they made no reaction to her testimony.

"Did he keep this guise as long as you remained above?"

Sarah swallowed, remembering Chasma's words, and glanced apologetically in Jareth's direction.

"No."

"What did you eat during your visit to The Underground?"

"Nothing…Or almost nothing. Just a peach, I think."

The whole room buzzed and Sarah felt temporarily self-conscious of her pajamas and unwashed hair. The Court looked as if Sarah had just thrown a knight from his horse and won the jousting tournament. The ivy crown nodded at her and marked off several other items of his list.

"And the child, Toby Williams. Where is he now?"

Somehow, Sarah did not think her answer would bode well for Jareth. Her tendency to spite just wasn't the same as it had been when she had been a younger, more hot-headed person.

"I don't know."

The ivy crown seemed dubious, but not unhappy with her.

"That will be all for now, Sarah Williams."

Sarah's chest flooded with relief. She'd lied and they'd bought it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah felt puzzled as she watched The Court and courtiers flit through and in and out of the chamber, conversing with each other cheerfully. Surely The Court knew that she'd told a lie, but none of them had so much as stirred in response. She wondered if there would be more to answer to and how her answers might affect Jareth's fate. Something told her that The Court held a far more sinister power than his own.

Chasma approached her to lead her from the chamber and Sarah dared one more glance towards Jareth. Still frozen, as before, but his eyes were following her progress. Her stomach flipped. Sympathy wasn't entirely the right word, but she felt concerned for him. He had, after all, been a tremendous bully, and wasn't owed any kindness from her. Still, she felt somehow responsible for his unfortunate circumstances.

"What's wrong with him?"

Sarah asked Chasma as they made their way back to her holding chamber. Chasma gave a dismissive wave of the hand.

"He's been stripped of his glamour. Customary procedure for Fae on trial by The Court."

Sarah stopped dead in the hallway.

"I'm sorry, did you just call him Fae?"

Chasma turned to glance at her.

"Of course. I believe in your world there are other names. Faery, Fair Folk. Here, we refer to ourselves as Sidhe or Fae."

Sarah nodded as if she understood better as a result of the explanation, but she couldn't have been more confused. Jareth was certainly elfin, and not some kind of goblin, but a faery? It seemed odd, but then again, The Court had also made mention of his being a crown prince and not at all a king. There seemed to be many things about Jareth that had been a creation and illusion of his own.

"Chasma, what is he on trial for?"

Chasma paused at the door to Sarah's chamber and opened it with a wave of her hand.

"The Court believes he has abused his title and should be stripped of it and banished from our world. His Court is scattered too far and wide to perform such a trial, therefore the Seelie have taken it upon themselves to attend to this grave matter."

Sarah tried to wrack her brain to remember the history classes she'd taken on medieval feudalism.

"Is it not against some kind of rule for him to be standing trial in a strange sovereignty?"

Chasma smiled condescendingly at her and deflected the question.

"Sarah, you are tired. You must stop worrying yourself with these questions and get some rest. The Court will call for you again soon, I'm sure."

Sarah smiled back and nodded, stepping into the room and letting the door shut behind her. Her conscience felt unsettled and uneasy and she paced the leaf-strewn floor, mulling through the facts available to her. The Court was up to something less than savory, that much was obvious. And she could somehow lie to them, despite what Chasma had said to her. It must have been a tactic to scare Sarah into telling them exactly what they wanted to hear. Sarah thought it a shame that there seemed to be no legal counsel in the world of the Fae, but then again, there was clearly some kind of medieval monarchy/parliamentary style of ruling in place. Jareth, a prince, of all things. Her sixteen year old mind couldn't have dreamed up a better fantasy if she tried.

Sarah wondered, sadly, if any of her friends were still there in that world or if that had been another place and another time altogether. She longed for someone relatively friendly to give her some kind of guidance. She could continue to try her luck with lying, but she feared that it would put both Jareth and herself in worse positions. His mismatched eyes had been so empty and withholding, it was strange not to see the mocking sparkle Sarah remembered. She hoped his expressionless demeanor was some kind of magical affect The Court was using and not his real countenance. Most of all, Sarah hoped that Charlie was alright. She had no real way of telling time and had no idea how the passage of time worked between worlds.

Taking in the floral, leafy trappings around her, Sarah began to ponder the term Chasma had used for The Court. Seelie. Sarah knew from her long time reading habit that there was both a Seelie and Unseelie Court. She'd always known them as the good and the bad faeries, but there was a chance that the politics didn't quite work that way. Humans surely didn't have much of an understanding of the happenings here in this other world. Or Sarah truly had officially lost her mind and she was doomed to forever be trapped in this odd corridor of her head. She sat down on the bed and watched the door. Eventually, she would be retrieved and have to answer for events that had occurred ten years ago that she'd believed she had dreamed up herself. Sarah wasn't entirely sure anymore if it had been a fiction or a true series events, merely occurring outside of her normal waking world. She could still remember things with surprising clarity, but they were mostly sensations. Sarah could still taste the peach Hoggle had given her, still smell the stink of the goblin castle, still feel the strange buzzing warmth of what must have been Jareth's glamour as he stood by Toby's crib.

She wished she could see him and offer her questions. Sarah imagined that Jareth wouldn't want to obstructive and annoying on his own trial, and at the least, he was familiar. Sarah's eyes wandered back to the door and she wondered if it was locked.

 **A/N:**

Hello, readers! I thought I'd wait to give an author's note after the story had some time to sit in the category for a bit and gain a few chapters. Just so you know some things about me, my name is Jen, I'm twenty and attending university studying English Literature. I've been writing fanfiction since around 2006 and I believe the last time I played around with some Labyrinth ideas was back in 2010, but here we are again. The characters are just too enchanting to put down and I love to write for them.

Some notes about the story:  
I imagine Sarah as being in her mid-twenties here. Settled enough to know herself at this point, but still young enough to handle a wild adventure in the land of the Sidhe. I have also decided to sort of invent important terms as I go. So far, we have 'The Court', 'The Sleep', and 'The Eternity'. Over the course of this fanfic, you'll learn more about each of them and more about the differing courts. I wanted to write for the fascinating characters from Labyrinth, but also explore some of the mythology of the Sidhe, as my favorite headcanon of all time is Faery!Jareth. I hope you'll enjoy this as we go along, I deeply appreciate the positive responses to this story from all of you!


	5. Chapter 4 and a Half

The hallways of the giant tree were deserted, the laughter of the courtiers and what sounded like a harp on the upper level echoing through the vacant space. She stood halfway in and out of her holding chamber, leaning into the hallway to watch for passersby. Sarah wasn't sure where to begin, but she was certain that finding a way out was an excellent thing to keep in mind. Part of her wanted to free Jareth as well, but there was no reasonable or efficient way to track him down. There was a possibility he could be in any one of the rooms within the massive tree and the longer she spent confined within it, the more likely she was to be found.

Sarah took a deep breath and exited her room, walking with some speed down the incline of the long and winding hall, hoping that at the tree's base she'd find some way out. The rooms she sped past all had odd shimmering magic about the outside of them, humming against Sarah's skin and causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. She noticed, as she hadn't before, that the dim light source for the hallways were mushrooms of various colors and shape, illuminated by some kind of glamour. Wherever she was, whether a place in her head or otherwise, it was a very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing world. The people there looked as if they had little flecks of gold in their skin and had lovely green eyes, each and every one of them. And still, something compelled Sarah to explore, in the hopes of locating Jareth and asking the many questions she had.

There was no absolute certainty, of course, that Jareth could be bothered to answer Sarah's questions, but she hoped that somehow his unfortunate position would cause him to open up. Sarah hadn't ever gone to college, much less finished high school, but from what she'd read about psychology, isolation could lead to a more vulnerable emotional state. She'd also known from certain experience, but she didn't often try to recollect her own time spent in isolation being monitored by a team of psychologists. For a moment, Sarah wondered with horror if she was still being watched, but had progressed beyond the point of no return. Such thoughts only inhibited her productivity in the given reality, and so Sarah drove them out from her mind as quickly as she could.

Sarah's door seemed to be the only one that looked like a functioning door, the rest of the various Fae and creatures were held in only by the magic force-fields of sorts around their rooms. She supposed that privacy might not mean the same thing for their culture, but most of the rooms she passed were also hardly as nice as her own. None of them had beds or vines or any of the other various features that Sarah's holding room possessed. Another question to aim at Jareth, if she found him. Each Fae she passed looked less lovely than the rest of The Court and courtiers. Their skin was a dull brown, their hair often looking frayed and faded, their eyes a dark brown. Other creatures were mixed in with the rest, a few that reminded her vaguely of Hoggle, and a few small, furry, goblin-like things that sent a shiver down her spine. None of them were the pale, disinterested face she'd seen earlier. She was certain she'd gone more than halfway down the tree when she noticed him.

The Jareth she'd seen before truly had been some kind of illusion, this one sat with his back to the arch of his cell and hung his head. His smallness and silence bothered her, deeply. Where was the boisterous, child-bullying asshole she'd met all of those years before? Sarah cleared her throat gently, silently praying that he was still able to hear her through the magic wall.

She was slightly disarmed by the twitch in one of his elfin ears. He had heard her, after all. He turned his head towards her, but didn't bother to look at her.

"The longer you stand there, the more likely you are to be caught."

"I thought I might come and find you. I don't know where I am. I don't know why you're here or why any of this is happening and I need answers. This is your trial, surely you know something."

"You never could just accept things as they are, Sarah."

There it was. They hadn't stripped him of that sarcastic, jaded core, after all.

"Accept things? I'm sorry, I was kidnapped in the middle of the night during a hurricane by a little calico cat that turned out to be a Faery and it turns out that you are too. Not to mention that you're a prince and not a king. I'd love to know what you mean by 'accepting things'."

He looked at her then and smiled.

"You're still just as brave, headstrong, and stupid, I see."

"You're the one in the cage and I'm the one on the outside. You're not in a position to be on a high horse, Jareth."

He mocked her with a fake frown.

"I thought you would have missed me. I'm sure it was awfully boring there in that little town with those little people. Don't tell me you were happy there, eating, living, sleeping alone, save for that mangy cat."

Sarah laughed, derisively.

"I liked it a lot more than I ever liked what you did to me and my life. You will never understand the kind of negative impact you had on me, and sadly, I don't have the time to explain that to you. Not that I'd need to, I guess, since you're apparently still keeping an eye on me after all this time. You've seen perfectly well what you've done and I hope you're fucking pleased with it. Now, I have questions, and you're going to answer them."

It was enough to quiet him. His silence was incriminating enough and Sarah had ceased to enjoy the back and forth, anyway. It was time to stop playing the game and begin finding a way back to the life she'd had before. This time there would be no hospitals and she would earn it all back. Jareth rose and strode to the wall to meet her. He was still tall and somewhat imposing, but she had grown since their last encounter and had almost grown tall enough to meet his eye.

"What is it you want to know?"

"Where are we? Who are these people? Why am I here? How do I get out?"

"Many questions, but at least you've the sense enough to ask them."

He began to pace the small and confining space of his cell. Sarah noticed his less than elegant peasant's clothing then, and thought of her own embarrassingly pajama-d appearance. They were at least on equal footing there.

"We are in the land of The Sidhe. It is the land occupied and ruled by The Sidhe. These folk have always been and always shall be. These are the beings that built your land and mine. You are here because of some political theatrics that have nothing to do with either of us. As for your final question, I do not know. You possess no magic and no kind of social or political footing in this world, and so you are at its mercy as much as any of its occupants are until something changes."

Sarah felt wholly defeated and took a deep breath, massaging one of her temples.

"So I'm just stuck here, then? Until they-what-decide to be finished with me? What then? What happens to everything I left behind?"

Jareth sighed and returned to his corner.

"I've said more than I'd like to already. Your other questions are of no importance to me."

Sarah's blood boiled.

"You're unbelievable. I'm only here because of you, and you, who have been watching my life unfold this whole time, you wouldn't care what happens to me once this Court or whatever has finished with me?"

He turned and his eyes were fire, but Sarah's fear was quickly snuffed out by the thought that he'd been stripped of his powers. He was no more powerful than she, an average human.

"What would you have me do? Reorder time? Rearrange the stars? Make it all 'fair' for you? If you'll recall, I have done all of those things and more. Now I cannot do them at all for any reason, and why? Because of you. You have always been selfish, foolish, and brash. You do not think before you speak. You do not care what your actions mean for those around you. There is nothing I can do, Sarah. I have done all that I can and more, and still, here we are."

His words were colored with defeat and Sarah felt entirely disgusted with herself when she felt a slight pang of sympathy for him. He'd always been an unruly jerk and she knew his words meant nothing more than to try to cut her down to size and place himself higher.

"Alright, so we're stuck here. You're on trial and we don't know what for. Answer me this, what am I supposed to say in there?"

"What you know. They can smell lies here, it's no good trying to lie your way through this, and badly too, I might add."

She ignored his unwarranted commentary on her decent, thank-you-very-much, lie from before. She dropped her voice to a whisper and prayed no one would have special, magical hearing that might give her away.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the lying part."

And then she turned and left, ignoring his calls after her. It was clear that Jareth had done all he could, but Sarah hadn't yet. She'd have to take it in hand herself, and so be it.


End file.
